Top education stories of 2012 [Pictures]

In March, Baltimore County and Howard County announced their new school superintendents on the same day: Dallas Dance and Renee Foose, respectively. A few weeks later, the state named Lillian Lowery as the new Maryland school superintendent.

City school administrators spent $500,000 over a year and a half on expenses such as a $7,300 office retreat at a downtown hotel and a $1,000 dinner at an exclusive members-only club, credit card statements showed. The expenditures included a $264 lunch for students at Hooter's.

2012 was a year of many changes in local school systems and higher education institutions. Two local school systems have new superintendents as does the state Department of Education; several colleges saw turmoil at the top of their ranks; and the 2012 school year saw a rise in security concerns after a shooting in the cafeteria at Perry Hall High School on the first day of school. The following are some of the top local education stories of 2012.